


Heart's A'running

by Adeline_Hatter



Series: Qrowin Week 2019 [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Dishonesty, F/M, First Kiss, First Meeting, Hope, Qrow's Point of View, Qrowin Week 2019, Sweetness, cowardice, parallel fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:02:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21745702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adeline_Hatter/pseuds/Adeline_Hatter
Summary: Qrow Branwen somehow always found himself crossing Winter Schnee's path.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Winter Schnee
Series: Qrowin Week 2019 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566337
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	Heart's A'running

Qrow, for as long as he can remember, has always hated winter. 

The season was unkind and lacked pleasant warmth that was needed within their tribe to sleep peacefully. Though, his twin had never had such a problem.    
  


Even at Beacon, Winter hadn’t been kind to him, the cold nipped at his nose no matter how many blankets he piled on to himself, no matter how much hot chocolate Summer had made- With the little marshmallows -that he forced down his throat during studying. 

He got colds quickly, Tai prattled on that it was because he wore the same uniform year round, despite the weather and that was really only the half of it. 

He avoided missions that would take him to unseasonably cold places like Atlas and the city below it, but sometimes, sometimes he’d have to go looking for the robot that lived there. 

* * *

  
  


Eyes followed him when he marched across their courtyard with a yell of Ironwood’s name. 

Though he didn’t know their owner and had no present desire to. 

* * *

  
  


Qrow notices that she is the oldest daughter of the Schnee family three seconds after he’s already saved her from her former dance partner. 

The funny thing is that Winter, unexplainably, speaks and every little piece of his attention is captured by the time the first syllable passes through her lips, painted a soft blushing pink, he thinks distantly that it doesn’t really suit her skin tone, but thinks better of voice it aloud. 

She doesn’t even ask him why, just asks why he doesn’t want to be seen with her, which is funny. 

He knows she’s Winter Schnee, but she doesn’t know who he is. 

Or so he thinks.

* * *

  
  


She’s surprisingly light, as he lifts her into bed, but then again Winter is probably mostly muscle than body fat. 

There are a few babbles of random information she’s blurting out as he tucks her duvet up around her. 

It’s mostly nonsensical, but he eases the pins out of her hair carefully not undoing the bun fully but letting it lie there without the instruments that could stab her in her sleep. 

He goes to find where she keeps her pain killers, turning them up in a draw in her kitchen, her whole apartment is spanse in design, minimalist in style. 

Qrow doesn’t acknowledge the tiny thoughts that submit it is oddly familiar in a way, in the cold empty space that looks less like a home and more like just a place to sleep. 

He sets a glass of water on the nightstand, along with the pain killers, then went back out and sat on her sofa, fully intending to leave after catching his breath. 

Then he wakes up to find the room freezing, but a warm and soft blanket is tucked up to his shoulders as someone walked around the kitchen. 

“Good morning.” Winter states and she doesn’t look at all like she’s been drinking, hair trailing down her back in a loose plait that she chucks over her shoulder a moment later to turn to him, she tilts her head at his groan and he hears the click of the stove being turned off. 

He appreciates the view for a moment longer than he should, the sight of Winter Schnee in pajamas, seemingly nonplussed by the cold that lingers in the area.

“Will you turn the heating on?”

“It is on.” There’s this quirk in her lips. 

“....Well, could you turn it up?” He sounds so weak when he speaks and curses the Brothers for it in a moment of time, before pulling the blanket up tighter around him, Winter rolls her eyes and reaches up to a dial on her left. 

Her eyebrows raise, “Better?”   
  
“Much.” Qrow sits up and moves the blanket so it now sits around his shoulders instead of over him and pads past her into the kitchen, she steps out of the way to follow him, shorter without her heels, “What were you making?” He practically looms above her when he turns around to look at her again. 

Winter pushes past him so she can have full access back to her kitchen as well, brushing him aside with ease, “Eggs and bacon, you want some?”

“Yes please.” 

* * *

  
  


The day continues like this on and off and weirdly, Qrow finds he likes her company more than anyone would originally think. 

Winter had a knack for getting under his skin, which was strange since they hadn't slept together or, perhaps, that was the problem. 

It was funny to him, he'd never liked the season of Winter, there was always too much wind and cold that would make his very bones shake, but Winter... 

She was warm, sharp tongued and knew just what to say to piss him off enough that he probably looked half like an idiot and more drunk then he actually was. 

In other words, she messed with his head, even without meaning to, just by smirking when a well worded jab made it's target in a perfect shot. 

He wondered why she didn't use a rifle.

She fed him eggs and bacon, then sent him on his way. 

* * *

  
  


He doesn’t know why he calls. 

He doesn’t know why he tells her she doesn’t matter. 

All he knows, looking at the slowly dying form of the Fall Maiden is that she’s too close, she’s too close and she can’t be this close. 

Not when he knows Winter has things to live for. 

Unlike him. 

* * *

  
  


She hates him and rightfully so, he thinks to himself, until he ends up in her presence again before she is due to leave Beacon, still as ignorant as this morning. 

“Thought I would say goodbye.” 

“I don’t need to talk to a drunk like you.” There’s something in the way she puts more effort into keeping her tone neutral on the word drunk that makes him pause, leaning against the wall in front of her, “Will that be all?” 

He stares at her, at the way the fury burns in her eyes like the coldest cubes from Atlas, it is the cold kind of fury he knows that as she stares him down straight back.

“You’re staring.” She submits after a few moments. 

“Am I?”

“Do I have something on my face?”

“I didn’t want you to notice.” She swipes at both her cheeks, “You missed it.” 

Winter shakes her head, “You are impossible, you know that don’t you?” He steps forward and surprisingly she doesn’t step back, she doesn’t move, she just… Waits for him to take another step and then another, as he stands in front of her. 

He does loom over her this time as he reaches up, expecting her to move away as he rubs an altogether imaginary piece of dirt off of her cheek with his thumb, “I’m sorry.” 

“You should be.” 

“I know.” Qrow throws her a lopsided grin, letting go of her face, “I told you I have the worst luck.” 

“But I don’t.” She murmurs and he feels gloved hands encase his face as she pulls him back down to face her at her level, eyes still burning, “I matter, Qrow, I matter and you just don’t want to admit that I do.” 

Qrow doesn’t know how long the press of her lips lasted, all he knew was that it wasn’t long enough to show Winter exactly how much she mattered.

He used to hate Winter, but now he sort of favours it.


End file.
